Look before you walk
by XLeggomyEggoX
Summary: Twilight Sparkle was the first. Who will be next to go?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: The Everfree

It was a sunny day in Ponyville and Twilight Sparkle was in her library reading a book as usual. She needed to go to Zecora's in the Everfree Forest to ask for some special herbs she needed for a spell she was learning, but she didn't feel right going into that forest. There had been many ponies going missing in the past few weeks and everypony that went missing was last heard from when they were about to go into the Everfree. She thought for a second… yes, maybe if she brought her friends along for protection she would be able to quickly get to Zecora's and back to Ponyville in no time…. No, she couldn't do that; she wouldn't want to cause any danger to her friends. Twilight was torn, she really needed the herb from Zecora, but she didn't want to endanger her friends. She decided she was a powerful unicorn and she would just go into the Everfree by herself. So, she got up, told Spike she was going out for a bit and headed for the Everfree Forest.

Pinkie was the first to notice Twilight as she was bouncing around town.

"Twilight! I've been looking all over for you!" Pinkie said as she bounced up and down in front of the purple mare.

"Hey Pinkie I was actually-" Twilight was cut off by Pinkie's rants about where she was looking and all that.

"So, where are you going? It's pretty early to be taking a stroll." Pinkie asked

"Well, I was actually headed over into the Everfree" Twilight said as she adjusted her saddlebag on her back.

"Oh no Twilight! You can't go into the Everfree! There's been three people gone missing this week!" Pinkie had a worried look on her face.

"I know, Pinkie. I'm just going to go over to Zecora's, get a special herb I need for a spell, and come back. It will take me thirty minutes at the most." Twilight reassured her friend.

"Hmm… okay, but please be careful, I wouldn't want anything to happen to you." Pinkie still seemed a bit eerie about the whole thing.

"Don't worry Pinkie, I'll be fine." Twilight said as she waved to Pinkie goodbye and headed over to the Everfree.

She felt a bit uncomfortable at first, with the fog surrounding her like walls closing in and the murky ground feeling like glue on her hooves as she walked. She saw something in the distance and of course, out of curiosity, she slowly went to where she saw the "thing." When she walked up to it, it looked like a big black shadow. As she got closer, a "pony" of some sort stared at the purple mare, but with no eyes or facial features. The creature kept looking at Twilight until it finally stood up, lunged at the purple mare and attacked her. Twilight struggled to no avail. She tried using her powers but the creature seemed immune to them. The creature was much larger than Twilight and continued assaulting her until; finally, she either passed out or died from the loss of blood. The creature decided it had had its fun and didn't have any more use for the pony so it left the unconscious or dead Twilight in the middle of the Everfree.

It had been a week since anypony had seen Twilight and nopony knew if they should report it to Celestia. By this time, Twilight was surely dead from the loss of blood. Of course, all five of Twilight best friends were worried about her. They decided to go and look for her since Pinkie told them she last talked to her before she was planning to go to the Everfree.

"Umm… I don't know about this you guys…" Fluttershy managed to squeak out on top of her fear of the Everfree Forest.

"C'mon, sugarcube, do ya want to find Twi 'er not?" Applejack said as she faced the entrance to the Everfree.

"Well, of course I do… it's just I do not like the Everfree Forest too much…" Fluttershy backed away a little.

"We need all the help we can get; it might get a bit rough out here if we're not careful" Rainbow Dash stepped forward giving Fluttershy a serious look.

"R-rough?" Fluttershy felt like darting in the opposite direction… but she couldn't just let one of her best friends be lost in the Everfree Forest.

"Yes, rough. We don't know what's in that forest and for all we know Twi could be severely injured right now…" Rainbow Dash gulped "Or worse… dead" At that point everypony went silent.

"D-dead? No… she can't be" Fluttershy felt a rush of bravery fill up her whole entire body as she puffed out her chest and stepped into the forest "We've got no time to lose, come on"

The other four mares stood still staring shocked at Fluttershy's new found self-confidence. They finally came back to their senses and the five ponies all went to search for their friend. They decided to split up into groups. Rarity and Pinkie Pie in one group; Fluttershy, Applejack and Rainbow Dash in the other. Rarity saw a trail of something on the ground so she and Pinkie followed it until it stopped at a bush. Rarity pulled back some leaves and branches to reveal what was left of their book smart friend.

Rarity's eyes widened with tears as she saw her friend lying dead in a heap of fur and blood "Twilight?" she continued to shake the purple fur mound that was once Twilight Sparkle, but nothing… her body was cold and Rarity's face was soaked with tears.

Pinkie, on the other hand, stayed not too far behind looking at her now dead friend. She glared to hide her pain but she couldn't find the tears to cry.

"I'll go get the others" Pinkie muttered in a serious tone just loud enough so that Rarity could hear her. Rarity looked up at Pinkie and nodded slowly. Pinkie then set off to find her other three friends. Her mane had been straight since Twilight had been declared missing.


	2. Chapter 2

Everypony was wearing black. It was Twilight's funeral and nopony had anything to say to Celestia or the five ponies that lost their best friend to some unknown creature. It was so crowded, all of the ponies there almost filled up the whole Royal Garden. Fluttershy got her birds to sing in Twilight's honor. When it was all over, everypony bid the princess farewell as they exited the garden.

The five best friends, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity went to sugarcube corner for lunch. Mrs. Cake made them some cupcakes and coffee but no one ate or drank. They felt so empty but didn't have the guts to eat. None of them spoke, afraid to trigger the nerves of poor Rarity, who seemed to be the most heartbroken about Twilight's death. Seeing as she had to carry Twilight's lifeless body to canterlot to prove to Celestia that she was in fact dead, though at first Celetia and Shining Armor thought it was a joke. Shining Armor showed as much pain as Rarity did,  
he hadn't left his and his wife's quarters of the castle since the announcement that Twilight was gone. Cadence tried to comfort her husband,  
but to only get shooed away by him.

It was troubling Princess Celestia as well. She couldn't do any of her royal buissness without thinking of her once was star student.

Applejackgot up and slammed her hooves on the table "Gosh darn it! We can't just sit here and mope around like we ain't got nothin' to live for. Twilight might be gone, but that don't mean life's over, I'm darn sure she wouldn't want us to mourn her death forever. She'd want us to move on and except the fact that she's gone now."

"You're right, Applejack" Fluttershy quietly muttered from under the pink mane covering her face.

"I know I'm right, now, I don't know about you guys, but I got work on the farm that I've been puttin' off 'fer a while now. We can meet up here tonight when we feel ah' bit better and talk 'bout all this mess." Applejack scooted out of the chair she was sitting in and walked out the door.

Rainbow Dash sniffled and crossed her hooves over the table. Pinkie looked over at her "Dashie, are you alright?"

"Don't call me that" Rainbow Dash quickly opened her wings and flew out the door, letting it slam shut behind her.

Rarity flinched and wiped her wet face with a tissue. She sniffled and stood up "I must be going too, girls, I promised Opal I would give her a bubble bath before nightfall." Rarity quickly trotted out of Sugarcube Corner and back to her boutique.

Pinkie and Fluttershy were both sitting completely silent at the only vacant table at the sweet-smelling Sugarcube Corner.

"I wonder what killed her" Fluttershy spoke up just above a whisper.

"I don't know but I'm going to find out." Pinkie pushed a bright pink and blue cupcake around the small plate in front of her.  
"When?" Fluttershy pushed some of her mane out of her face and looked up at Pinkie Pie.

"Well... I planned on buying some protective things or something tomorrow and going out to find out or kill whatever killed Twilight."

"Let me go with you."

"Fluttershy I-"

"No, I'm going with you whether you like it or not. I may be the element of kindness but that also means I have to protect my friends."  
Fluttershy got up and put one hundred bits on the table "I'll be here at six. We need to go out before dark. I'm sure whatever it is it's nocturnal."

Pinkie nodded and raked the bits into two hooves.

Fluttershy left and went to her treehouse. It was about 10:00 P.M. so Pinkie went upstairs to her completely pink bedroom. She went to her bed and sunk into the fluffy matress. Soon she fell asleep. Nightmares came, but they always did so they didn't usually bother Pinkie at all.


End file.
